Category: music Page 94 of 188

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another weekly dip into the pool of music news, interviews and videos that I like to call This Week In Music! Yes, in addition to the normal Pick Your Poison mp3s and Soundcloud streams, I like to toss out links to a bunch of other music-related content that I’ve found interesting or worthwhile over the course of the week. I encourage you to check some, if not all of these things out, particularly if you’re looking to waste some time. There’s plenty to see, read and hear:

Joy Division’s debut album An Ideal for Living will get a ltd. edition re-release for Record Store Day

Check out the full list of Record Store Day (April 19th) exclusive releases

The final lineup for the 2014 Pitchfork Music Festival has been set

Play the Lollapalooza Lottery game for your chance to win a pair of 3-day passes

YouTube Audio Stream: Lykke Li – No Rest for the Wicked

Music Video: Ratking ft. King Krule – So Sick Stories

Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew is selling his own line of body butter

Music Video: Bishop Nehru ft. Disclosure – You Stressin’

YouTube Audio Stream: tUnE-yArDs – Water Fountain

Watch a clip of Arcade Fire covering Boys II Men’s “Motownphilly” live in concert

Once you’re done with that set of distractions, let me offer up another set via some song downloads and streams. Don’t miss tracks from Bondage & Discipline, Cloud Boat, Glimmermen, Halsted, Joakim, Paradise and Universal Thee. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Banks (covering Aaliyah), Ben Frost, Brian Reitzell (ft. Kevin Shields), Dub Thompson, LP, Reuben and the Dark, and Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis.

Baby Please – Way Down

Beaten Bodies – Crowns

Bondage & Discipline – Only Your Love

Broken Luxury – Latch (Disclosure cover)

Cloud Boat – Carmine

Freeweights – Infinite Repeats

Glimmermen – I’m Dead

Halsted – Independence Day

Joakim – On the Beach

Paradise – Born and Bound

Paris Carney – It’s Always the Quiet Ones

Sleeves – Lono

Sonia Stein – Friendly Ghost

Universal Thee – A Million Voices

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There’s something to be said about artists who are only referred to by their first names. Cher. Madonna. Prince. Well, those are all pretty much adopted pseudonyms, but you get the general idea. Which brings me to Susanna. There’s at least a few different singer-songwriters with the first name of Susanna that I can think of off hand, but they all also use their last names for the sake of differentiation. The only one who doesn’t is Norwegian songwriter, vocalist and producer Susanna. She’s been part of or collaborated with a number of different groups over the years, leading to names like Susanna and the Magical Orchestra or Susanna and Ensemble neoN. She has used her last name on occasion when releasing solo work, but Wallumrød isn’t the easiest name to write unless you’re from a Scandinavian country. At this point in her career, she’s going only by Susanna, and that’s good enough. She’s released quite a few albums over the course of the last 10 years, including at least one of starkly reworked covers. In a sense, she’s a kindred spirit to Cat Power in musical style and emotional resonance. She plays piano and sings with a certain fragility, and her compositions can be instrumentally enriched by the people the collaborates with. Listen to her song “Imagine” off her 2012 record Wild Dog to feel the quiet, reverent work she does on her own. Last year’s collaboration with Ensemble neoN titled The Forester brought woodwinds and strings to her trademark sound, which made it more lush and epic in scope. The track “Oh, I Am Stuck” is a good example of that. Next Wednesday, March 26th, Susanna will be performing at Constellation in Chicago. It’s a very rare chance to see her perform live, as she hardly ever plays shows in the U.S. and even on this tour is only doing a handful of dates. She won’t have a full orchestra with her, but will be playing songs from her expansive catalogue and collaborations with just a guitar and drums to accompany her piano. It’s shaping up to be a very intimate and tremendously captivating night, and if you’ll be in town I hope you’ll come out for the show. Tickets are only $15 and you can buy them in advance here. Now then, let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison. There’s a couple of fun covers in this set, which I’m bringing up only because it just worked out that way, completely not by design. But keep your ears open for tracks from COnfluence, Escapists, Penguins Kill Polar Bears, Pill Wonder, Ryan D White and Straktobeam. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Black Bananas, Dana Falconberry, Denney and the Jets, Life Without Buildings, Tame Impala and William Tyler.

Chalk and Numbers – Shut Down (Beach Boys cover)

Confluence – The Only Thing Constant

Coury Palermo – I’m On Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover)

Escapists – Breaking It Up Late Night

GUCCIGHOST® – Luv Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division cover)

Lettuce – Slippin Into Darkness (GRiZ Remix ft. Jessica Breanne)

Penguins Kill Polar Bears – Lungs

Perth – Drank and Kites and Tomorrow (GUM Remix)

Pill Wonder – See You on the Cyan Shore

Ruth Koleva – Turn It Around (Eric Lau Remix)

Ryan D White – We Are the Dreamers

Sasha Keable – Careless Over You (Genius Vision)

Straktobeam – Midnight Run

Top Shelp Lickers – Without You

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We’ve hit another Tuesday, where I’m once again pleased to bring you a quick rundown of artists with brand new music coming out this week. The hope is to either inform you about what’s out there, but also to maybe even remind you if one of your favorite artists is putting out something new and you simply forgot about it. So without further ado, here’s your list for this week: Ana Tijoux, Black Lips, Christopher Tignor, The Coathangers, Constant Lovers, David Novick, Dead Rider, Dex Romweber Duo, Ex Hex, Foster the People, The Glaciers, Hauschka, I Am the Avalanche, Kevin Drew, La Dispute, Lyla Foy, Madlib & Freddie Gibbs, Magic Touch, Perfect Pussy, Ringworm, Sisyphus, Skating Polly, Skrillex, The Spits, Taking Back Sunday, Tycho, Vermont, The War on Drugs, White Suns, WhoMadeWho and YG. If you’re so inspired please pick some of these records up via your favorite digital or physical retailer! Now let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison, where you can discover even more hot new music. Some key tracks you’ll want to give attention to today come from Ages and Ages, Bonsai., Daena Jay, Fucked Up, Lil Freckles, Thieves Like Us, Tim Larson and Twintapes. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Chance the Rapper (ft. James Blake), Down, Felix Cartal, Lemaitre, Zella Day, and RAC’s remix of a Porter Robinson song.

Ages and Ages – Divisionary (Do the Right Thing)

Bonsai. – Trees

Daena Jay – I Will

FIM – Shit God Damn

Foster the People – Coming of Age (TABS Remix)

Fucked Up – Paper the House

Lil Freckles – Dancin on the D

Numa – How Do You Like It (Me & You)

Pharrell – Happy (Terry Urban Remix)

Samo Sound Boy – Open (Motions Remix)

Thieves Like Us – Sutphin Boulevard

Tim Larson – The Unquiet Grave

Twintapes – Everyday Chemical

Two Twins – No Windows

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I’m not any part Irish, nor do I pretend to be, but there’s a certain amount of appreciation I have for the holiday. Mostly that stems from how the general public have managed to turn a fictional tale about a saint who drove all of the snakes out of Ireland into one of the biggest drinking days/weekends of the year. Because St. Patrick’s Day is on a Monday this year, many partied over the weekend with green beer and parades because they have to work on the actual holiday. As a social drinker who knows a number of people with plenty of Irish coursing through their veins, I felt obliged to tag along for some shenanigans, and boy was it a mess. Drunk people everywhere, bars packed to capacity with lines a half block long, and more green clothing items and accessories than you know what to do with. It’s pretty much the same nightmare that occurs at bars every year on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, though the annoyance factor is turned up a notch. I don’t mean to complain, because any reason to go out and party is pretty much a good one, but some people just take it a little too far. You know what they called St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland today? Monday. They called it Monday. Some of my friends went to Ireland a few years ago for the holiday, and said the bars weren’t any more packed than usual, no green beer was served, and everyone was dressed in normal street clothes. I guess St. Patrick’s Day over there isn’t so much a holiday as it is a lifestyle. Maybe Americans could learn a thing or two when it comes to appropriating other cultures’ special days. Fun as this holiday can be, toning it down just a little bit might make it a little easier for everyone to stomach. Okay, I’ve said my piece. Let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison. Good tracks today come from ALIZZZ, Broken Records, Howson’s Groove, Kinetics, Okey Szoke, Rasputin’s Secret Police and Unicycle Loves You. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Friendly Fires, Fuck Buttons, Hercules & Love Affair, School of Language, Tensnake and Wye Oak.

ALIZZZ – Sunshine

BeatauCue – Evola

Broken Records – Revival

Dameht – I Love You Too

Eluusif – Hair Like Skrillex (ft. Adorah Johnson)

Howson’s Groove – Live On

IndianRedLopez – Taking A Fall For Me

Kinetics – The Ocean

Labstract – Hold Your Own

LDRU & Yahtzel – The Only One

Lost Harbours – Evening Vessel

Okey Szoke – Apart Tarraxo

Rasputin’s Secret Police – Freaks

Unicycle Loves You – Face Tattoo

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It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another weekly dip into the pool of music news, interviews and videos that I like to call This Week In Music! Yes, in addition to the normal Pick Your Poison mp3s and Soundcloud streams, I like to toss out links to a bunch of other music-related content that I’ve found interesting or worthwhile over the course of the week. I encourage you to check some, if not all of these things out, particularly if you’re looking to waste some time. There’s plenty to see, read and hear:

Led Zeppelin will release remastered editions of their first three albums with bonus tracks

Watch Twin Shadow play at SXSW from a dumpster

Watch Sky Ferreira perform “I Blame Myself” on Kimmel

Music Video: Franz Ferdinand – Fresh Strawberries

Watch Beck perform “Waking Light” on the Tonight Show

Watch Iggy Pop and New Order perform “Love Will Tear Us Apart”

Watch Arcade Fire cover Stevie Wonder’s “Uptown (Everything’s Alright)” live in concert

Watch Chvrches cover Lorde’s “Team”

Music Video: Banks – Brain

Watch Warpaint perform “Love Is To Die” on Conan

Once you’re done with that set of distractions, let me offer up another set via some song downloads and streams. Don’t miss tracks from Designer Drugs, DWNTWN, Golden Retriever, Mustard Pimp, Peelander Z, Sleep Sleep, They Might Be Giants and We Are Shining. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Bird to Beast, Say Lou Lou, The Snow, Tame Impala, Vanaprasta and Loston’s remix of Banks’ “Waiting Game.”

Adam M – Big & Fat (Original Mix)

Boots – Howl

Designer Drugs – Crystal

DWNTWN – Til Tomorrow

Dylan Lloyd – Gone (ft. Disguised As Heroes)

Gibbz – Do It For You

Golden Retriever – Flight Song

Johnny On the Rocks – Far From Dead

Mustard Pimp – Kickback

Peelander Z – Killer Thunder

Sid Pattni – Go Back Home (ft. Meg Mac)

Sleep Sleep – Take the Money & Run

They Might Be Giants – Am I Awake

We Are Shining – Killing (ft. Eliza Doolittle)

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Since we’ve officially reached that time of year, let me say a few words about South By Southwest (SXSW). Taking place every March down in Austin, TX, SXSw is one of, if not THE premier music event in the country. There are so many bands playing at so many venues (and non-venues), you could call it just a little bit insane. Many are young, upstart bands hoping to be discovered. Others are well established names who have something to promote, or who are being paid a generous sum by a large corporation to attract people in for advertising purposes. The corporate intrusion has really become obscene these last few years, especially when you consider the gigantic vending machine that Doritos put up a few years ago and they keep bringing back year after year. Lady Gaga is performing in the vending machine this year, which should give you an idea of how big this yearly event has become. That, plus a Kanye West and Jay-Z “Watch the Throne” show, and a lot of other huge things. Has it all gotten completely out of hand? Have corporations completely taken over and ruined whatever real dignity the multi-day event has to offer? Well, yes…and no. For every mega show with a big name, there are dozens upon dozens of tiny ones with unknowns who could still break out at any moment. You may have to do some digging and exploring, but the good stuff is still there. The cream of the crop still rises to the top (sorry). And Austin is an amazing city with a vibrant arts culture and incredible food. If you’re already there this year, or are thinking about going in the future, just make sure you do it your way. Buy a badge and see some panels along with live shows, or sleep on a stranger’s floor and only go to free events. It’s all good either way. After a couple of years off, I’m excited that I’m planning to return to SXSW in 2015. You’re more than invited to join me. Okay, let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison. Good tracks in this set from Gold Light, Hayley Reardon, Navy Skies, Night Panther, Real Rashy and Sleepers Work. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Baliff, The Kooks, SBTRKT, Simian Mobile Disco & Roman Flugel, and more.

Caught A Ghost – Human Nature

Gold Light – True Love Never Dies

Hayley Reardon – Booze and Blueberries (For Betsy)

Jay Dabhi – Say Hey!

Jim Kroft – Threads (Verona Remix)

Navy Skies – New War

Night Panther – I Want You to Know

Paris Carney – Astronaut

Post War Glamour Girls – Red Terror (Sky Larkin Remix)

Real Rashy – Hemmingway Better

RUMTUM – Floating Into

Seeming – Goodnight London

Sleepers Work – Catherine

Sopris – Ordinary Life

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We’ve hit another Tuesday, where I’m once again pleased to bring you a quick rundown of artists with brand new music coming out this week. The hope is to either inform you about what’s out there, but also to maybe even remind you if one of your favorite artists is putting out something new and you simply forgot about it. So without further ado, here’s your list for this week: Aloe Blacc, Annabel, Battleme, Clara Moto, Clark, Conan, Curtis Harding, Dean Wareham, DENA, Elbow, Elder Brother, Falls, Joan As Police Woman, Laibach, Leg Lifters, Metronomy, MO, Peak Twins, September Girls, The Silver Palms, Sleepers Work, Tensnake (featured below), and Yacht Club. If you’re so inspired please pick some of these records up via your favorite digital or physical retailer! Now let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison, where you can discover even more hot new music. Some key tracks you’ll want to give attention to today come from Black Lizard, Turkish Prison’s remix of Cut Copy, Glass Wands, Memoryy & Brothertiger (covering Yeasayer), Pool, Quasimo and Tennis System (covering Beyonce). In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Fear of Men, Ida Maria, September Girls, Slava, Teebs and Tensnake.

Bitchin Bajas – Clill Blanzin (Moritat Remix)

Black Lizard – Forever Gold

Cut Copy – We Are Explorers (Turkish Prison Remix)

Earl Boykins – Leggy Blondes

Glass Wands – Silverleaf

Ilias – Fire Away

Memoryy & Brothertiger – Ambling Alp (Yeasayer cover)

Nick Stefanacci – Turn on the Stars

Pagiins – Yeti Spaghetti

Pool – Harm

Quasimo – Loving You

Redrick Sultan – Recurring Mimosa

Tennis System – XO (Beyonce cover)

Yip Deceiver – Lover (Willy Joy Remix)

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Haven’t done a show preview in a little while for all my fellow Chicagoans, so let’s do one of those today. This upcoming Tuesday, The War on Drugs drop their fourth full length Lost in the Dream. After the remarkable step forward that was their 2011 record Slave Ambient, this new one is another shift towards a more extended jam session through the corridors of classic rock. As familiar as the sound might seem sometimes, be it pieces of Dire Straits or Bob Dylan and maybe even a touch of The Traveling Wilburys, the band also manages to make it their own and ultimately create one of the strongest records from 2014 so far. Though I think it sounds like almost nothing else on the album, the first single “Red Eyes” is one of, if not my absolute favorite song at the moment. This is a band on the up-and-up, and I think this year is going to see them become more popular than ever before. The War on Drugs will be playing an 18+ show at Metro in a couple weeks on March 23rd, and of course I’m going to recommend that you go. As a bonus, Mark McGuire will be opening the show. McGuire’s latest album Along the Way came out last month and is pretty strong as well. Stream the track “In Search of the Miraculous” on Soundcloud to get a taste of what that’s like if you’re not already familiar. If you want to pick up tickets, they’re $19 in advance and $21 at the door. Here’s a link to the ticket purchase page. Come on out, it should be a fun night. And if you’re not from Chicago, check out their other U.S. tour dates, which run through mid-April. Okay, let’s do today’s Pick Your Poison. There’s some good cuts in this set from The Analog Affair, Canopies, Celine Neon, Equals and The Shoe. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Brody Dalle, Joel Ford, Mac DeMarco, of Montreal, Pattern Is Movement, Pure X and TOBACCO.

A.J. Ellis – Stand Up

The Analog Affair – We Were Lovers

Andrew St. James – A Prayer for East Oakland

Austra – What We Done? (Ohmeda Remix)

Aviel – Alone

Bad Suns – Transpose (Nicity Remix)

Canopies – Miss You Now

Celine Neon – Vacation Time

D/C – Devil on My Shoulder

Equals – Conveyor

Heyrocco – Melt

The Shoe – Paper Cup

The Villainy – Tired of Tears

#XI – Retrogrades

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It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another weekly dip into the pool of music news, interviews and videos that I like to call This Week In Music! Yes, in addition to the normal Pick Your Poison mp3s and Soundcloud streams, I like to toss out links to a bunch of other music-related content that I’ve found interesting or worthwhile over the course of the week. I encourage you to check some, if not all of these things out, particularly if you’re looking to waste some time. There’s plenty to see, read and hear:

Music Video: Lykke Li – Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone

YouTube Audio Stream: How to Dress Well – Words I Don’t Remember

Watch the short film “Are You Okay?” a collaboration between Dum Dum Girls and Bret Easton Ellis

Watch a clip of Andre Benjamin as Jimi Hendrix in the upcoming film All Is By My Side

YouTube Audio Stream: Son Lux ft. Lorde – Easy (Switch Screens)

Check out the sheet music for a new Parquet Courts single “Sunbathing Animal”

Music Video: Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks – Little Fang

Music Video: Iggy Azalea & Charli XCX – Fancy

Music Video: The War on Drugs – Red Eyes

YouTube Audio Stream: Sharon Van Etten – Taking Chances

Once you’re done with that set of distractions, let me offer up another set via some song downloads and streams. Don’t miss tracks from Cody ChesnuTT, DeltaFoxx (covering Pearl Jam), The Fire and I, La Sera, Secret Colours and Train Company. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Christopher Owens, The Dodos, Fort Romeau, Fujiya & Miyagi, Oneohtrix Point Never, Perfect Pussy and Wartime.

AlunaGeorge – Kaleidoscope Love (Kaytranada Remix)

Cody ChesnuTT – Gunpowder on the Letter (ft. Gary Clark Jr.)

DeltaFoxx – Daughter (Pearl Jam cover)

Dream Curtain – Unknown Ends

The Fire and I – Ruined//Graffitied

La Sera – Losing to the Dark

Model Airplanes – Innocent Love

Monsterheart – Bunnies

Museum of Love – Monotronic (Secret Circuit Remix)

Ray Bonneville – Love is Wicked

Secret Colours – It Can’t Be Simple

Thief – Closer (Weird Together Remix)

Train Company – Step to Me

True – Videos (Mercury Remix)

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It’s strange for me to think that there are people in this world who are still misogynists, bigots and general idiots. That’s not something I deal with on a regular basis, so the idea of it seems foreign to me, even though I know it’s going on every single day. Somebody famous will speak out against all of these people who think that the anonymity of the Internet grants them license to do and say whatever they want on it to whomever they want without recourse. Here’s a tip from someone who’s spent more time online than most: if you don’t like something or someone, avoid them. There’s no need to harass somebody online when you can just click on something else that doesn’t bother you. I’m all for people expressing their opinions, what with freedom of speech and all, but if your opinion is that you’d like to have sex with a specific celebrity, that’s probably something they don’t need to know. Has there ever been a situation where some random guy sent an overtly sexual message online to a woman he’s never met before and had it turn into something real? You’re delusional if you think that will work out in your favor. Similarly, who is it helping when you write a nasty comment underneath a YouTube video. Is it too much to ask people to be as civil when interacting with others online as they are interacting with one another in person? I understand that my point isn’t really adding anything new to a conversation that’s been going on since the dawn of the Internet, but it’s nice to reiterate that message every now and then. While I’ve been speaking in general terms, what’s motivated this diatribe has been writing from people like Sky Ferreira and Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry, musicians I care for and respect, who have had to deal with these sorts of problems. We can all do better with our online interactions. Okay, let’s talk your mid-week Pick Your Poison. There’s some good tracks today from Casket Girls, Induce, Jupe Jupe, Pontiak, Spaceship Aloha and Yalls. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Chromeo, Haley Bonar, Hercules & Love Affair, Owls, and Sharon Van Etten, among others.

Axons – Still Light

The Casket Girls – Secular Love

Exotic – Red Lights / Rainy Nights

Great Good Fine OK – Not Going Home

Indestructible Grandpas – 1-800-MATTERS

Induce – Alina

Jupe Jupe – Vicariously

Misun – All for Leyna (Billy Joel cover)

Paper Lions – My Friend (Octopus Project Remix)

Phoenix – SOS in Bel Air (Ariel Pink’s Krystal Bamboo Remix)

Pontiak – Innocence

Spaceship Aloha – Galaxy

Sugar Bomb! – Hangover

Yalls – Warlords

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We’ve hit another Tuesday, where I’m once again pleased to bring you a quick rundown of artists with brand new music coming out this week. The hope is to either inform you about what’s out there, but also to maybe even remind you if one of your favorite artists is putting out something new and you simply forgot about it. So without further ado, here’s your list for this week: Addison Groove, American Authors, Arthur Beatrice, Ava Luna, Axxa/Abraxas, Carla Bozulich, Damaged Bug, Drive-By Truckers, Each Other, Eagulls, Eternal Summers, Fenster, Ghost Beach, Holly Golightly, Homeboy Sandman, Laibach, Linda Perhacs, The Men, Mount Salem, Nick Waterhouse, Nothing, Real Estate, Rick Ross, Roman Remains, RVSB, Sally Seltmann, Sam Rivers, Trust, UME, Wake Owl, Warm Soda, We Are Scientists, Wolves Like Us and Young Fathers. If you’re so inspired please pick some of these records up via your favorite digital or physical retailer! Now let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison, where you can discover even more hot new music. Some key tracks you’ll want to give attention to today come from Carl Creighton, Jungle Doctors, Lola’s Bad, Moke Hill, Rasputin’s Secret Police, The River Monks and Two Twins. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Atmosphere, French Horn Rebellion (ft. Haerts), Movement, Peter Matthew Bauer, Porter Robinson and Bastille remixing Kimberly Anne.

Benjamin Shaw – Goodbye, Kagoul World

Carl Creighton – Snowbank

Divino Niño – It’s Been Like It Never Used To Be

Faux Effet – Aostuc

Jeremiah Jae – Survival (ft. Oliver the 2nd)

Jungle Doctors – Dry

Lola’s Bad – Break Free

Marvel the Gr8 – Top Gunner

Moke Hill – Don’t Know Where It Started

Rasputin’s Secret Police – Zoe

Revere – I Won’t Blame You

The River Monks – Beasts

Two Twins – Thomas

Zenith – ffuture

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It’s not the most musically oriented of the awards shows, but the Academy Awards happened on Sunday, and I’d like to take a moment to talk about them. I’ve given plenty of commentary about the Grammys and how much I generally dislike/don’t watch them because they give awards to all the wrong artists, songs and albums, but the Oscars are different. The Academy Awards may not always get it right, but they do give plenty of recognition to great films from the previous year. I was happy to see 12 Years A Slave get the Best Picture win, even if it wasn’t even in my Top 5 films of 2013. It’s an impressive, well-made film with mindblowing performances and deals with an important topic. And my favorite film of 2013, Her, did walk away with a Best Original Screenplay win, which is exactly one more award than American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Nebraska picked up last night. Nothing against any of those three movies that earned a bunch of nominations but went home empty handed. Them’s the breaks sometimes. Overall I found this year’s Oscars to be largely predictable, both in the very “safe” hosting job that Ellen did as well as the winners and losers of the night. While I always do well on my Oscar ballot, this year I set a new personal best by only getting one category incorrect. That’s how easy it was. Perhaps the lone surprise of the evening was John Travolta and his wonderfully absurd introduction of singer Idina Menzel, for whatever reason calling her “Adele Dazeem” instead. There’s been plenty of comedy pulled out of that gaffe in the last 24 hours, and I hope it keeps going for awhile, just because. But while I’m thinking about singers and music performances, how about that performance of “The Moon Song” with Karen O and Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend? That small, intimate performances was a highlight of the night for me, a brief respite from the big, epic glitz and glamor of the evening. In case you missed it, you can watch it here. It’d be nice if there are more moments like that at future Academy Award broadcasts. What were your thoughts on the evening? Share them with me in the comments below. Meanwhile, there’s this Monday edition of Pick Your Poison to get to. Great tracks today from Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, Jadeite, King of Prussia, LIZ, Will Phalen, Zoo Brother and The Field’s remix of Wild Beasts’ “Wanderlust.” In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Bok Bok (ft. Kelela), Fennesz, Hauschka, Landlady, Panama and Real Estate (covering George Harrison).

Coldplay – Midnight (Jeremy Hills Remix)

Ed Schrader’s Music Beat – Pantomime Jack

Hominidæ – Aloe

Jadeite – Frostbites

King of Prussia – Actuary

LCMDF – Rationality (ft. Ballet School)

LIZ – Say U Would

Schoolboy Q – Hell of a Night (Death Ledger Remix)

Sleepmakeswaves – One Day You Will Teach Me to Let Go of My Fears

Slim Tailor – Nova Stella

Tuomo and Markus – Don’t Shut Down Your Radio

Wild Beasts – Wanderlust (The Field Remix)

Will Phalen – Done

Y.O.U – Heavy Crown (Jeremy Greenspan Remix)

Zoo Brother – Gemini Girl

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